Modern Stools
The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw sweeping social change and major scientific advances — both of which contributed to a new aesthetic: modernism. Rejecting the rigidity of Victorian artistic conventions, modernists sought a new means of expression. References to the natural world and ornate classical embellishments gave way to the sleek simplicity of the Machine Age. Architect Philip Johnson characterized the hallmarks of modernism as “machine-like simplicity, smoothness or surface [and] avoidance of ornament.”
Early practitioners of modernist design include the De Stijl (“The Style”) group, founded in the Netherlands in 1917, and the Bauhaus School, founded two years later in Germany.
Followers of both groups produced sleek, spare designs — many of which became icons of daily life in the 20th century. The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics. While Bauhaus principals Marcel Breuer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe created furniture from mass-produced, chrome-plated steel, American visionaries like Charles and Ray Eames worked in materials as novel as molded plywood and fiberglass. Today, Breuer’s Wassily chair, Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona chair — crafted with his romantic partner, designer Lilly Reich — and the Eames lounge chair are emblems of progressive design and vintage originals are prized cornerstones of collections.
It’s difficult to overstate the influence that modernism continues to wield over designers and architects — and equally difficult to overstate how revolutionary it was when it first appeared a century ago. But because modernist furniture designs are so simple, they can blend in seamlessly with just about any type of décor. Don’t overlook them.
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Stools
Steel
2010s Modern Stools
Nickel
2010s Ukrainian Modern Stools
Ash, Wood, Acrylic, Linen, Sheepskin, Faux Fur, Cotton, Bouclé, Wool, Fa...
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Stools
Leather, Oak
2010s American Modern Stools
Wood, Ash
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Stools
Rope, Hardwood
1950s Finnish Vintage Modern Stools
Birch
2010s Spanish Modern Stools
Ceramic, Earthenware
2010s Ecuadorean Modern Stools
Bronze, Stainless Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Stools
Walnut
2010s American Modern Stools
Wood, Ash
2010s Belgian Modern Stools
Wood
2010s Brazilian Modern Stools
Upholstery, Hardwood, Fabric
Mid-20th Century Indian Modern Stools
Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Stools
Leather
2010s American Modern Stools
Ceramic, Oak
1930s Italian Vintage Modern Stools
Fabric, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Stools
Upholstery, Wood
20th Century Italian Modern Stools
Aluminum
1970s Japanese Vintage Modern Stools
Leather, Upholstery, Foam, Wood
2010s American Modern Stools
Leather, Wood
1980s Spanish Vintage Modern Stools
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Stools
Velvet
1950s American Vintage Modern Stools
Aluminum
2010s Italian Modern Stools
Cedar
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Stools
Ceramic, Stoneware
Late 20th Century Modern Stools
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Modern Stools
Metal, Bronze
1970s American Vintage Modern Stools
Lucite
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Stools
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Stools
Wood, Cedar
2010s Belgian Modern Stools
Wood
2010s European Modern Stools
Faux Leather, Rattan, Wood
2010s Spanish Modern Stools
Steel
1990s French Modern Stools
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Stools
Marble
2010s South African Modern Stools
Granite, Bronze
2010s Portuguese Modern Stools
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Stools
Fabric, Wood, Lacquer
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Stools
Steel
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Stools
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Brass, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Stools
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Chrome
2010s Italian Modern Stools
Concrete
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Stools
Steel, Metal, Brass, Nickel
2010s Spanish Modern Stools
Steel
Mid-20th Century French Modern Stools
Pine
2010s Spanish Modern Stools
Ceramic, Earthenware, Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Stools
Steel
2010s American Modern Stools
Aluminum
2010s Spanish Modern Stools
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Stools
Concrete
2010s Portuguese Modern Stools
Velvet
2010s American Modern Stools
Wood, Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Stools
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Stools
Upholstery, Wood
Early 2000s American Modern Stools
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Stools
Steel
20th Century French Modern Stools
Wood








